Far-left Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) claimed in a fundraising email Monday that Tyre Nichols was “killed by white supremacy” — rather than the five black cops actually charged in the Memphis man’s death.
“Tyre Nichols should be alive today. Instead, like so many others he was killed by police. Killed by white supremacy. Killed by America,” read the message from the Bronx and Westchester lawmaker’s re-election campaign.
Nichols, 29, died in a hospital Jan. 10, three days after he was beaten like a “human piñata,” in the words of an attorney representing Nichols’ family, by Memphis Police Department officers attempting to arrest him.
Five officers have been charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression in connection with Nichols’ death.
“This is Black terror,” Bowman’s message continued. “We feel it everyday. We feel it more today. Too many victims to name. Too much hurt to explain. Too many tears, too normalized, too numb. From 1619 to the present day we live in a constant state of terror.”
“Police brutality happens in New York, in Memphis, in Los Angeles, in cities across the country, small towns across the country, and throughout American history. At the root of it is the dehumanization of Black people, people of color, and particularly Black men. This kind of white supremacy is not just about skin color, however: it’s about ideology. It’s the operating system on which too much of our society is based,” the second-term lawmaker.
“We need my fellow members of Congress and President Biden to provide historic leadership on this issue. We cannot maintain this status quo. We must lead for Black lives and lead for Black humanity,” the email from Bowman for Congress concludes.
The message included a “Donate” link for supporters to contribute to Bowman’s campaign.
Recruited to run for office by the far-left group Justice Democrats, Bowman has represented New York’s 16th Congressional District since January 2021.
Last week, Bowman demanded that the 80-year-old president invest in ending poverty, housing, climate and education in the wake of Nichols’ fatal beating, adding that he doesn’t see Biden leading on the issue.
“We need him to historic leadership in this moment. And when I say historic, I’m talking Roosevelt and Lincoln-type historic leadership on this issue and so many others. We cannot just paint around the edges because that maintains the status quo. We have to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. We have to introduce and pass the People’s Justice Guarantee so community members can reimagine and restructure public safety in our country,” Bowman told CNN.
“The research shows we need a public health approach to public safety. You want to make us safer? Invest in poverty, in ending poverty, invest in housing, invest in climate, invest in education. That is how we make our country safer. What we’re doing is adding more police and feeding the prison-industrial complex and that has to stop,” he added.
